Olive Oil Tin Dresses Up for the Opera

What inspired brand owner Filippo Berio to debut a limited-edition extra virgin olive oil in this unusual packaging design?

Rick Lingle, Senior Technical Editor

March 11, 2024

2 Min Read
Filippo Berio

What’s more Italian than olive oil? And what’s more Italian than opera, which originated in the country during the Renaissance?

Filippo Berio, one of the nation's top-selling olive oil and pesto sauce companies, is introducing a limited-edition tin to commemorate the 100th anniversary of composer Giacomo Puccini's legacy. Embossed on the extra virgin olive oil 1-liter tin is a custom graphic featuring his iconic opera, Madama Butterfly. One of Puccini's most popular operas, the love story of the unfortunate geisha has captivated audiences worldwide with its poetry and drama.

Available at select retailers nationwide beginning in April, the temporary tin’s stylized packaging design is a unique and refined way to draw consumers’ attention.

"Giacomo Puccini is one of Italy's greatest operatic composers, having created seminal works such as La Bohème, Tosca, Turandot and, featured on our tin, Madama Butterfly,” offers Marco De Feo, VP of Marketing at Filippo Berio USA Ltd. “We're honored to celebrate the enduring impact of his timeless and captivating operas with this limited-edition tin that will be a beautiful addition to our product lineup.”

It seems a daring if not unusual way to entice consumers, though the pairing of opera and the brand’s tin is a fitting choice: the famed composer was born in the Tuscan town of Lucca in 1858. Nine years later Filippo Berio founded the company that bears his name in the same town.

The tin would seem to be a rare example of connecting opera with packaging.

However, consider that both may rely on elaborate costuming for dramatic effect. Also, operas and packaging aim to engage with their respective audiences on an emotional level.

As with all packaging, the tin is but a stage for a brand to make a lasting impression.

For all the above, we give this distinctive limited-edition packaging design a “bravo!”

About the Author

Rick Lingle

Senior Technical Editor, Packaging Digest and PlasticsToday

Rick Lingle is Senior Technical Editor, PlasticsToday. He’s been a packaging media journalist since 1985 specializing in food, beverage and plastic markets. He has a chemistry degree from Clarke College and has worked in food industry R&D for Standard Brands/Nabisco and the R.T. French Co. Reach him at [email protected] or 630-408-7184.

https://twitter.com/PackmanRick[email protected]

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